Probes having sensors are known, in particular probes that are connectable to a water quality monitoring instrument, for example a sonde such as the sondes disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,779,383 to Lizotte et al., 5,821,405 to Dickey et al., 5,235,526 to Saffell, 6,677,861, 6,798,347, 6,928,864, 6,938,506, 7,007,541, and 7,138,926 to Henry et al., to monitor parameters of the environment surrounding the instrument.
Applicants' probes are “smart probes” in that the body of the probe houses a circuit board with a plurality of components. The circuit boards are one of the most expensive components of the probe and it is critical to be able to assemble the probe without damaging the circuit board. It is also critical to be able to assemble the probe into a water-tight housing, since the probes are often used underwater. Applicants have developed a novel process of assembling the probe that addresses both of these critical issues, and, furthermore, advantageously allows the circuit board to be operational before assembly in the water-tight housing, such that the board may be programmed and/or the functionality of the board and/or sensor may be tested and/or calibrated before final assembly.